TRIGGER MAFIA – The Brotherhood

Rock Company 2021

TRIGGER MAFIA –
The Brotherhood

Hard rock bruvvers-in-arms from British Columbia brandish a perfect weapon to effectively fire their first shot.

This album may smell of hair metal to some, only there’s almost no frills to what the Canadian foursome do, and though opener “Find A Better Way” – that is echoed further down the line in the orchestral balladry of “The Brotherhood Song” and, thus, creates a concept – has a lot of soulful effervescence to it, it also flaunts the players’ prowess as performers. So when they whip up “Drink What You Drink And Roll What You Roll” in an entirely instrumental, save for a few burp-like talk-box phrases, mode, the nuances in the group’s melodic front – often acoustically laced – are impossible to ignore. Perhaps, their proclivity for processed vocals, cropping up here and there, may not sit comfortably with everyone, yet who’s to complain if the organ-oiled “Open Road” offers a funky riff and infectious beat?

And while “MFG” could mean “motherfuckin’ good” – because it is – it actually stands for “Mission From God” as the ensemble take a leaf out of the Aykroyd and Belushi book and unhurriedly shimmy across the page with a lot of swagger, whereas “Sittin’ On A Corner” sails over a fine selection of lyrical quotes from classic rock cuts before singer Shawn Meehan’s guitars run across Jay Wittur’s earth-shattering bass. However, while the streamlined “Devil Woman” invokes tasty staples of heavy diet and sprinkles the flow with clever backing voices, and while cosmic synthesizers of the wordless “YVR” and “Great Big Genius” hark back to progressive trips, “Snowflake” hits the woke weaklings straight in their smug faces and is guaranteed to become an on-stage success – as it the quartet’s cover of “Turn It Up” by fellow Canucks KROME.

Still, for all their virtuosic skills, the group find space for the piano-splashed, sleazy shuffle of “Backyard Barbecue” and the CD-only boogie of “Horsehead In Your Bed” that links their name to “The Godfather” to up the ante at the end. As a result, “The Brotherhood” is a fantastic ride – or, rather, the start thereof.

****4/5

January 2, 2022

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One Response in another blog/article

  1. […] high praise comes from Dmitry at DMME: ” “The Brotherhood” is a fantastic ride – or, rather, the start thereof”, […]

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